It was a cool morning in Launceston, a former capital of Cornwall, and the city was bustling as the St Piran’s Day celebrations were in full swing.
Children paraded and danced, songs were sung, speeches were given and the odd tear was shed as people gathered to celebrate all things Cornish.
The day has become a highlight of spring in the south-west corner of Britain, a chance to celebrate a patron saint but, perhaps more than that, to think about what it is like to be Cornish in the 21st century.
“It’s a brilliant day,” said Launceston mayor Nicola Gilbert, born and raised in Cornwall. “We are very patriotic here, we are proud of who we are. We tend to be forgotten: we are on the other side of the country. But we don’t forget who we are.”
The modern incarnation of St. Piran’s Day is going from strength to strength, and while March 5 is the actual date, the event runs into the weekend.
Celebrations like the one in Launceston were held in Bodmin, Truro and Falmouth and a new two-day festival marking the cultural, academic and economic connections between Cornwall and Wales took place in St Austell on Friday and Saturday.
“I think there’s a resurgence of Cornish culture,” said Ross Wheeler, a stilt walker who took part in the Launceston parade. “It would be great to make it a bank holiday.”
Cornish artist, musician and commentator Seamas Carey said when he was at school there were few St Piran’s Day activities. It’s very different now.
“I think it’s about Cornwall getting to grips with its identity. Wales has St David’s Day, Scotland has St Andrew’s Day. The interesting thing about St Piran’s Day is that it’s new and fresh, it’s like a blank canvas. People do what they want and call it a St Piran’s Day activity. Being Cornish means being othered. I don’t care if people forget I’m Cornish, but what I’m definitely not is English.”
In January, the Cornish language Kernewek was officially recognized under Part III of the European Charter for Minority Languages, giving it greater protection and status.
The UK Government has indicated it will explore a bespoke devolution deal for Cornwall, possibly giving it more control over transport, housing and economic development.
Joanie Willett, co-director of the Institute of Cornish Studies at the University of Exeter, traced the modern rise of St Piran’s Day to the late 1990s.
This was the time of the 500th anniversary of the Cornish rebellion in which people from the south-west of Britain marched on London and also a period when Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, among the poorest areas of the UK, were seeking EU funding.
“It created an atmosphere that said Cornishness is really cool,” Willett said. “It’s really important because of our heritage and it’s also very useful.”
But Willett wants to make it clear that the day is fun and light-hearted rather than academic. “At our Institute of Cornish Studies, we are holding our inaugural pasty launch.”
According to the Cornwall Heritage Trust, St Piran was “the merriest, hardest-drinking and toughest holy man to ever live in Cornwall”.
The trust says he was a 5th-century Irish priest tied to a millstone and thrown into the sea after quarreling with a king. Instead of sinking, he floated to Cornwall, where he preached Christianity.
The Reverend Jess Lancaster, who took part in the Launceston parade, said there remained a deep Celtic tradition in modern Cornish Christianity. “There is calm, gentleness,” he said.
Two hundred and fifty miles away, in the House of Commons, Labor MP Perran Moon (his name comes from St Piran) for Camborne and Redruth was hosting an event with trade and investment body Global Cornish.
He said: “When people think of Cornwall, they think of beaches, pasties, scones, cream and holidays. “In reality, there is so much more to Cornwall in terms of our culture, our language, our heritage.
“From an industrial perspective, we are absolutely at the forefront of the government’s industrial strategy with wind, thermal and tidal energy, and we have our critical minerals: tin, tungsten and lithium.
“Cornish culture and heritage has spread far and wide. There are St Piran’s events in Toronto, Mexico, Hong Kong and Australia. So this is not just a Cornish thing. It’s not even a British celebration. It’s an international celebration.”
In Redruth, the community used St Piran’s Day to rally support for its bid to become UK City of Culture in 2028 with the screening of a special film ‘The ‘Druth Is Out There’.
Will Coleman, star of the film, said that over the last decade there has been a “palpable wave” of positive energy around Cornish identity and language.
He said: “There has been a growing understanding of our distinctive past, as well as optimism about a distinctive, more prosperous future. So, for many years ill-regarded as an ‘English county’, Cornwall is busy renegotiating its relationship within the British family, as one of its five nations.
“St Piran’s Day is an opportunity to go out and celebrate this newfound confidence in community, place and culture.
“I am aware that, to an outside observer, flag-waving and parading might seem suspiciously similar to the retreat into defensive nationalism that is currently fueling division and hatred across Europe and the world.”
But he said what was happening in Cornwall was a “different beast”. “From within, the resurgence of Cornish identity and language feels inclusive, empowering and festive – long may it continue.”
